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Tag: TABOR

Why lawmakers are afraid 24k Coloradans may disappear in the next budget year, and with them $77M
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State, The Colorado Sun

Why lawmakers are afraid 24k Coloradans may disappear in the next budget year, and with them $77M

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun Nearly 24,000 Coloradans are set to disappear from the state’s population this year — at least as far as the state budget is concerned. It’s no mere illusion. The vanishing act will have real consequences for public services, to the tune of $77 million in required cuts, if lawmakers don’t take action to prevent it. The issue dates all the way back to when the legislature first implemented the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights in 1993, the year after voters added it to the state constitution. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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TABOR refund amounts announced for 2025, based on income
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kdvr.com, Local, State

TABOR refund amounts announced for 2025, based on income

By Heather Willard | FOX31 Just days after announcing there would be TABOR refunds for Colorado residents in 2025, the state has announced how much money each Coloradan household can expect to receive. TABOR, or the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, is an amendment to the state constitution that limits how much revenue Colorado governments can retain and requires that Colorado residents vote to approve any tax increases. The overages are refunded to Colorado taxpayers. In an audit released on Oct. 14, the Colorado Office of the State Auditor said the state has $1.4 billion in excess revenue, which translates into TABOR refunds. This is a fair bit lower than what was collected during the 2023 tax year when the state reported it was returning some $3.28 billion to Colorado t...
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In expected windfall, Colorado owes taxpayers $1.7 billion in TABOR refunds
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coloradopolitics.com, State

In expected windfall, Colorado owes taxpayers $1.7 billion in TABOR refunds

By Luige Del Puerto | Colorado Politics, via The Gazette The Colorado state government owes taxpayers a total of $1.7 billion in refunds mandated under the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights.  The state collected roughly $1.4 billion more in revenue during the 2024 Fiscal Year than allowed under TABOR, according to a state audit. The state already has roughly $290 million in outstanding TABOR refund liability at the beginning of the fiscal year, bringing the total refund amount to about $1.66 billion. Passed by voters in 1992, TABOR limits the annual growth in revenue to the inflation rate, plus population change. Any amount raised above the limit must be returned to taxpayers. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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‘We wanted to stand up for all taxpayers’: State Supreme Court affirms taxpayer victory against water district
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

‘We wanted to stand up for all taxpayers’: State Supreme Court affirms taxpayer victory against water district

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Even though it’s unlawful to increase taxes in Colorado without a vote of the people, vigilance keeps it enforced. When Northeast Coloradan residents noticed their property taxes double from 2019 to 2020, a few of them filed suit against the Lower South Platte Water Conservancy District.  Unanimously, the Colorado Appellate Court ruled in March this was a violation of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR).  The Colorado Supreme Court affirmed this ruling and denied the defendant’s appeal on Sept. 30. With help from the National Taxpayers Union Foundation’s (NTUF) Taxpayer Defense Center and Advance Colorado, James Aranci and other property owners cinched this victory reaffirming TABOR: any tax increase needs voter consent, and b...
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Lakewood voters to decide on eliminating taxpayer protections in November
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completecolorado.com, Local

Lakewood voters to decide on eliminating taxpayer protections in November

 By Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado The Lakewood City Council in August referred a measure to the November 5 ballot asking voters to permanently eliminate revenue limitations in place under the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). Despite some complicated ballot wording, a yes vote on the measure boils down to an end to refunds of taxes over-collected by the city for good starting in 2026. TABOR is a constitutional amendment that, among other things, limits the growth of local government spending to a reasonable annual rate based on inflation and local economic growth. Excess revenue must be returned to taxpayers unless voters give permission to exceed those limits. The Lakewood measure would allow city government to keep and spend revenue that would otherwise be refun...
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Logan County TABOR issues highlight local concerns: Free State CO talks ranked choice voting
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Colorado Accountability Project, Local

Logan County TABOR issues highlight local concerns: Free State CO talks ranked choice voting

By Cory Gaines | Colorado Accountability Project The deadline to get local ballot issues on your local ballot passed recently.  As such I called the Logan County Clerk and Recorder's Office to see about anything on the ballot in Logan County. There is a measure in the City of Sterling, CO There is a measure in Merino, CO There is a measure in Crook, CO There is a measure in the Frenchman Re-3 District (Fleming, CO schools). Why call and ask?  The answer is simple.  You as a citizen have a right to provide a pro or con statement on any local ballot issues for the taxing district you reside in.  You should take advantage of this right because speaking up on local issues can have a huge effect, especially compared to statewide issues.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLO...
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In Jefferson Co., campaign seeks to protect TABOR caps, as voters in other areas asked to remove them
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CBS Colorado, Local

In Jefferson Co., campaign seeks to protect TABOR caps, as voters in other areas asked to remove them

By Karen Morfitt | CBS Colorado Cities and counties across the metro area are going to voters asking to remove revenue limits set by the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. In Jefferson County there is now a push to save TABOR that is gaining momentum as well. "I think these are like the third use of them,"  county resident Jessica Fenske said. The yard signs she's helping to paint this year are sending the same message they did in 2019 and again in 2022 -- to protect tax caps put in place by TABOR. "It's the same fight every time; it's not a left or right fight going on," Fenske said. "It's just the people trying to keep some of their money." READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
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US judge tosses machine gun possession case, calls ban unconstitutional
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denvergazette.com, National

US judge tosses machine gun possession case, calls ban unconstitutional

By Nate Raymond | Denver Gazette A federal judge has dismissed charges against a Kansas man for possessing a machine gun, saying prosecutors failed to establish that a federal ban on owning such weapons is constitutional. The decision by U.S. District Judge John Broomes in Wichita on Wednesday appeared to mark the first time a court has held that banning machine guns is unconstitutional after the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 issued a landmark ruling that expanded gun rights. In that ruling, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the Supreme Court established a new test for assessing firearms laws, saying restrictions must be "consistent with this nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation." The Supreme Court clarified that standard ...
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Property tax bill passes Colorado House during special session
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CBS 11 KKTV, State

Property tax bill passes Colorado House during special session

By Tony Keith | CBS11 The Colorado House passed HB24B-1001 on Wednesday hoping it will help reduce property taxes. News releases from both House Democrats and House Republicans shared their take on the legislation. ”We are committed to making Colorado a more affordable place to live, and with this bill we’re delivering additional property tax relief in a responsible way while protecting funding for our schools, parks, libraries and community institutions,”said Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon.“Two initiatives from wealthy special interests on the November ballot would de-fund schools, lengthen emergency response times, and strip health care away from our most vulnerable Coloradans. Stopping these measures with small changes to the bipartisan property tax package from last session...
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Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse, Sen. Michael Bennet lead delegation call for IRS not to tax TABOR refunds
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse, Sen. Michael Bennet lead delegation call for IRS not to tax TABOR refunds

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics Colorado's congressional delegation on Wednesday once again urged the Internal Revenue Service not to treat refunds issued under the state's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights as taxable income. In a letter led by U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Assistant House Minority Leader Joe Neguse, every member of the state's delegation asked IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel to stick with the approach the agency has taken for more than three decades, since voters approved the revenue-limiting state constitutional amendment known widely as TABOR. The lawmakers said they are concerned the IRS could be considering treating refunds issued this year by the state — $800 for individual filers and $1,500 for joint filers — as taxable income, reversing an interpretation the age...
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